Diesel Lets Out a Quiet Roar

Is Vin Diesel the next big action star? That remains unclear after his in-your-face spy thriller “XXX” took in a solid, if not spectacular, $46 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates.

The media-hyped adventure was No. 1 at the box office but failed to open as big as M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” or “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” which brought in $60 million and $72 million respectively on opening weekends.

Sony’s Revolution Studios, which produced and distributed “XXX,” said it met expectations.

“Tracking of the movie told us this movie was going to come in at this. It is a big number for us,” said Tom Sherak, a partner at Revolution Studios. “[Sony’s marketing] has now put ‘XXX’ into the culture of Hollywood, and we can now look forward to the sequel.”

“XXX” star Diesel and director Rob Cohen are already signed up for the sequel, which will be set somewhere in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, “Signs,” appears to be another big hit for Shyamalan (“Sixth Sense”); it took in an estimated $30 million in its second weekend.

That’s a 50% drop from its opening weekend--not unusual for a summer blockbuster--and it performed strongly during the week; the sci-fi thriller, which stars Mel Gibson, has tallied an estimated $118 million in two weeks of release. Where “XXX” appeal has been mainly with teens and young adults, “Signs” has done well with audiences of all ages.

“Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams” came in at No. 3, bringing in an estimated $17 million over the weekend ($25 million since its release on Wednesday) over the “Austin Powers in Goldmember” came in fourth with $13 million over the weekend and a total of $168 million.

Clint Eastwood’s “Blood Work” got off to a slow start, taking in $7.2 million in its first weekend.

This weekend’s top 12 films, however, showed a 9% drop from last year, ($134 million compared with $141 million) according to Exhibitor Relations Co., a box office tracking firm.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was “The Good Girl,” a low-budget dark comedy from Fox Searchlight starring Jennifer Aniston, which brought in an impressive $148,703 in three days on just four screens in Los Angeles and New York, according to the studio.

The film, directed by Miguel Arteta (“Chuck and Buck”) and written by Mike White (“Orange County”), raked in $37,176 per theater. Matinee and evening shows in Los Angeles on Saturday night were sold out, according to Steve Gilula, president of distribution for Fox Searchlight, a specialty division of 20th Century Fox. Already the studio is drumming up support for an Academy Award nomination for Aniston, whose performance as the unfulfilled woman working a dead-end job at a discount store and married to a pot-head has earned her glowing reviews.

Gilula credits the strong opening of “Good Girl” to “the uniqueness of the film and Aniston’s performance. This film really shows what a range she has.”

If its early success continues, “The Good Girl” could be among a select group of independent films that have broken out this summer, including “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which has grossed a spectacular $45 million and remains in the top 10 after 17 weeks in release. The racy Mexican film “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and the Indian film “Monsoon Wedding” have each brought in $13 million. The Inuit film “The Fast Runner” continues to chug along, bringing in $2.6 million since its opening June 7.

These films’ success is indicative of older audiences’ longing for more mature, humane films than the usual studio blockbuster, according to some analysts. “There is a thing called blockbuster fatigue,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co.

“There is a segment of the audience that is looking for something more intimate, more character-driven. On a smaller scale, these movies are doing as well as the bigger movies.”